Secrets of the Gods
by WaxRoseMuseum
Summary: A young traveler, Andy, visits the mysterious country of Egypt hoping to have an enjoyable experience only to be caught up in a war between the gods. Will Andy survive the war and see her family again, or will she die a horrible, unexpected death?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Journey to Egypt

"Aww, mom, I'll be fine. I have everything planned out perfectly, I promise," Andy told her mother as they hugged goodbye.

"I know, you get that from me."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Andy's dad cut in receiving a long glare from Andy's mom and a short, soft chuckle from Andy.

"I love you both. Bye!" Andy waved fiercely at her parents as she walked away. Her parents waved back and her dad blew her a kiss as she turned a corner and her parents vanished. Andy was tempted to go back around the corner just to see her parents' smiles. This part was always the hardest.

Composing herself, Andy continued towards the chairs that were placed in front of her terminal. Andy sat down in one of the chairs and started going over all of the details of her trip. _A layover in Madrid, Spain_. At this detail her mind wandered off. _Egypt, I'm going to Egypt!_ Andy had never been to Egypt before – unless you counted all of the times that she stared enviously at the projection of Egypt that Google Earth provided – and her heart started to beat faster.

The flight attendant started calling up all of the sections and Andy watched as the businessmen and historians and all of the other people walked onto the plane. Finally, her section was called and she handed her ticket to the elderly man. He wished her a good flight and turned to the next person. "Thank you," she said softly and continued on her way. Andy finally, officially, stepped onto the plane and was greeted by the smiling faces of two young flight attendants.

"Straight down and to your right," one of the girls told her. Andy nodded and smiled. She had to kind of push a few people out of her way to make it to her seat. "Excuse me. Sorry," she apologized to one other passenger as she accidently shoved him a little bit too hard. _Thank god_, she thought when she found her seat. Andy practically jumped with joy. She sat down and looked out of the window at all of the workers and the pieces of luggage below her.

"Ooo, I found it Lisa," an older woman called and started stuffing her bags into the overhead compartments. "Lisa, over here," she yelled again.

"I'm coming, mom," a younger woman called back. Andy really didn't want to be rude, but she was very happy to find out that they were sitting behind her and not beside her.

Andy worried about how her body would adjust to the time change. _It's six-thirty now so it would be three-thirty in Egypt so…_ While she was doing the math in her head, she drifted off to sleep.

"Estamos llegando a Madrid. Por favor pongo sus saientos en posicion vertical y doblar las mesas de la cena de Nuevo en la silla delante de usted. Gracias por volar con nosotros." As the flight attendant repeated the announcement through the speakers, Andy could feel the chaos rush into the plane taking everyone hostage. Andy looked at her phone, _plenty of time,_ she thought. So, she waited until she was one of the last few to leave the plane.

As Andy walked through the airport, she would look down at her ticket and then back up to the terminal signs. After retracing her steps twice, she finally made it to her terminal. Andy sat down, but the sound of paper being crinkled caused her to look up. A person sitting a little ways away was eating something. Andy's mouth started to water and her belly groaned. Andy looked at her phone. _Nope, not enough time. You are just gonna have to wait_, she told her belly.

When she was seated on the new plane, a thought struck her head like a hammer: she had forgotten to call her parents! "Crap," she said out loud and then nervously glanced around the plane to see if anyone had heard her. She quickly pulled out her phone and texted her mom telling her that she was safe and explaining why she didn't call.

She was in the middle of the conversation with her mom, when a young boy around Andy's age sat in the seat next to her. Andy could feel redness sneaking up her cheeks. She smiled a little at herself for acting so immature.

The plane took off and Andy's ears were screaming in pain. Andy started yawning to pop her ears and was in mid-yawn when she noticed that the boy was staring at her like she was from a different planet. Andy smiled shyly at him then turned red again. When she was sure that he couldn't see her face, she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.

When the plane landed, Andy almost ran out of the airport. She was so excited that she couldn't breathe and that she was far away from that boy. She finally made it through the doors and took a long, deep breath. _Mmm, Egyptian air!_ However, her moment was cut short by her belly demanding to be fed.

**Thanks to everyone who has read the story so far! In this story, I am hoping to mix all of the different mythologies around the world. So far, the mythologies that I have included in my story are the Greek, the Egyptian, and the Norse mythologies. If you want me to use any other mythologies or any specific characters in the mythologies, please let me know. In the next chapter I will write about the different gods, goddesses, and others to sort of give you guys an understanding of what I am talking about. This might be kind of a slow process because I really want to do right by the different mythologies and by the plot that I have in mind. Thank you to everyone in advance for the reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Interrogation

"Nephthys, something must be done," Isis pleaded. "We cannot allow his pride to go any further."

"What am I to do? He is my son and I love him. I could not hurt him," Nephthys' voice was cracking and tears could be seen sliding down her cheeks.

"You must at least try to reason with him!" Isis was becoming frustrated with Nephthys.

Nephthys composed herself. "Very well, I will speak with him."

And with that, she started on her way. She had never been a strong mother when it came time to punish her son and now she was expected to believe that if she did not stop Anubis a war would break out. Yes, Anubis had always been the vengeful, jealous type and Nephthys knew this, but why didn't he have the right to be angry with Osiris?

"Nephthys! Where are you off to this lovely morning?" Aphrodite's long, beautiful, gold gown danced in the wind as she waved cheerfully at Nephthys. She wore a bright smile that almost shone brighter than her dress.

"Umm, for a walk to clear my head," Nephthys responded very cautiously. She wasn't sure who else was aware of the situation involving Anubis.

"Do you mind if I join you? I wouldn't mind clearing my head as well." Aphrodite giggled as she trotted towards Nephthys.

_If your mind gets any clearer, there will be nothing left,_ Nephthys thought to herself. "Actually, my dear, this is more of a private walk, if you know what I mean." Nephthys winked at Aphrodite.

Aphrodite stopped and half smiled. "I understand. Have fun!"

Nephthys smiled, waved, and went on her way. She hated to lie to Aphrodite because, even though they frequently insulted each other, they were the best of friends.

Nephthys was deep in thought when she came upon the gate to Anubis' dwelling. She slowly pushed her way through the gate and was greeted by the cold wind of death. As she breathed in the familiar sent, she noticed something odd. The wind's sent changed a tad. Something was very different. However, she continued on her way and came to the giant doors that opened into Anubis' house. Taking a deep breath, Nephthys opened the doors and entered the house.

"Anubis? Anubis?" There was no answer to her calls. Something was very wrong indeed. Nephthys started to approach a side doorway when a voice called out to her.

"My husband is not available at the moment, Nephthys," Anput said calmly, but with a hint of superiority. "How can I help you?"

Nephthys nearly rolled her eyes. Why in the name of Ra did her son have to marry this faux goddess who believed herself to be above the sister of the great god Osiris? "I am here to speak with my son. Where is he?"

"I told you, Anubis is busy and must not be disturbed."

"I will not argue with you, Anput. Take me to Anubis." Nephthys' eyes were burning with rage as she stared Anput down.

Anput slowly placed her hands firmly upon her hips ready to defend her rule as head mistress of this house. She was about to say something extremely insulting to Nephthys when two huge double doors at the end of the hall flew open. "Mother, what a pleasant surprise. What could have possessed a visit from you, I wonder," Anubis smiled politely at his mother and shot Anput a quick glare.

"I must speak with you right away." Nephthys walked swiftly over to her son and grabbed his hands.

Anubis saw his wife tense her shoulders and he gave her a reassuring look. "Of course, right this way." He pointed to an adjacent room and allowed his mother to proceed first. Anput started to object, but Anubis shot up his hand to silence her.

He softly shut the door to the room and sat in a chair in the middle of the room. He motioned for Nephthys to sit across from him. "What seems to be troubling you, mother?"

Nephthys sat down contemplating how to interrogate her son without enraging him. "Recently I have had the chance to speak with Isis and she has brought to me some very disturbing news. She tells me that you wish to exact revenge upon your father, Osiris?" She refused to make eye contact with Anubis for fear of angering him any further.

Anubis let out a chuckle that made Nephthys jump. "Isis has become rather paranoid in her old age, I see." He cleared his throat and continued, "Well, dear mother, you need not worry yourself. However, know this, should any unfortunate events befall my father, it is for the good of the people."

Nephthys felt a bone chilling wind crawl up her spine. She knew better than to continue asking questions so she quietly rose from out of her chair. "Very well, I trust you to do what is best." She wanted so badly to help him. She knew that he was hurting inside, but she feared him. She feared his anger and the power that he could wield with that anger.

"Mother, I always do what is best," Anubis reassured her with an icy stare. He walked his mother to the door and opened it for her. "Anput will escort you out. I have some unfinished business to tend to." He motioned to Anput and smiled darkly at his mother.

Anput nodded to Anubis and extended her hand to Nephthys. "This way, Nephthys."

Nephthys walked with Anput but refused to touch her hand. Nephthys smiled at her son knowing that should she prod any further he was liable to destroy her right then and there so she simply left him be.

Anubis walked into his study and sat down at his desk across from the two figures. "Thank you both for coming. I would very much like to convince you to help me in the obliteration of my dear father."

The two figures nodded for him to continue. Before he could continue, however, a small Nightmare about the size of a kitten scurried up his arm and whispered in his ear. Anubis smiled and let out a roar of sinister laughter.

**So now you guys know what I mean by mixing different mythologies. Thanks so much for reading! Again, if you want me to add any extra mythologies or mythological figures, let me know **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Finding Home

"Yeah, it was like really scary, Mom," Andy told her mother through the phone.

"Well, did she eventually give you what you wanted?"

"Yeah, I think, I mean, it looked nothing like the picture and it was definitely not what I thought it was gonna taste like." Andy made a face remembering the weird texture on her tongue.

Her mother laughed. "Well, let's hope you have better luck finding a place to stay," she jokingly said to Andy.

"Yep, already on it," Andy said looking around for the nearest hotel.

"Okay, well, I love you and … hold on," Andy's mom started talking to someone else, "Okay, I'll let her know." Andy could tell that she was speaking to her dad. "Your father wants me to tell you that he loves you too. Call me before you go to bed."

"Okay, mom. Tell dad that I love you both. Bye!" Andy tapped the red button and slipped the phone into her pocket. She spotted a hotel and made her way in that direction passing through traffic and nearly getting run over. She finally made it to the hotel and pushed open the glass door. Andy immediately felt all eyes on her and she walked slowly to the front desk. "Hello, my name is Alexandra Cummings. I was wondering if I could stay here for tonight," Andy smiled at the clerk.

The desk clerk looked up at Andy and smiled, "مرحبا بكم في فندق القاهرة. كيف يمكنني ساعدتك؟?"

Andy's face went bright red. "Sorry, I don't know Arabic. Alexandra Cummings?" She could tell that the clerk didn't understand her. He told her something else in Arabic that seemed like a question. Andy looked around the room and noticed that everyone was staring at her. She felt like she was suffocating. She knew that she had started to hyperventilate which is what she did whenever she was in a stressful situation. "Uh, that's okay," she smiled. "It's not like I've paid for anything. Thank you!" Andy waved politely at the desk clerk who looked confused.

Andy exited the hotel and fell against a wall. She let out a deep sigh. "Wow, that was just awful. So, now I'm gonna be starving and homeless. Great." Andy laughed a little at how the day had been going so far.

She looked up and saw a man with what looked like his two sons. "أنا جائع," one of the boys said.

"No, Rafi. In English," the father said.

The little boy sighed. "I am hungry!" He was yelling in frustration.

"Very good. Let's go eat, then."

Andy's eyes widened. She knew that she needed to find a place to sleep and this man could help her. She walked quickly to him. "Hello. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice that you speak English and I need a place to sleep, like a hotel or something. Could you help me?" As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Andy felt a rush of stupidity overcome her.

The man was silent for a few moments then a large grin spread across his face. "Yes. I can help you, but first, are you from America?"

Andy was confused. "Um, yes? I'm from America." Andy noticed that all three of them exchanged glances excitedly.

"Well, how much money do you have with you to spend on a room?" The man asked.

"I have about 50 American dollars to spend on a hotel room," Andy said reluctantly.

"That's all? Well, that won't get you anywhere. Follow us," The man waved for his sons to keep up. "My name is Farid, my oldest son's name is Akon, and then my youngest son, Rafi." As he spoke, Farid moved his hands in the direction of his sons. Akon looked to be about nine and Rafi looked about four.

"Very nice to meet you all. My name is Alexandra, "Andy beamed a great smile at the boys, but suddenly felt very cautious. "Excuse me, sorry, I don't mean to be a bother, but, if you don't mind, um, where are we going, exactly?" Andy sort of hunched her shoulders and furrowed her brows at Farid.

Farid let out a bellow of laughter and scooped up Rafi. "To our home, where you will have plenty of food and comfort." Akon and Rafi squealed with excitement.

"Ha, ha," Andy laughed nervously. "That's really too kind, if you just point me in the right direction, I can stay at a hotel."

Farid noticed that Andy was uncomfortable with his actions, so he placed Rafi back on the ground and looked sheepishly at Andy. "I am sorry. I have not explained my actions. I have always dreamed of traveling to America and perhaps moving my family to America; however, I don't have the money to make such a trip. So, all that I can do at the moment is learn about your history and your customs. Unfortunately, my passion for America has infected my sons whom I am teaching all of my knowledge to." Akon and Rafi both smiled proudly at Andy. "So, when you explained to me that you were from America, I wanted to seize the opportunity to learn more about America. I have never met an American before," Farid said rather childishly.

Andy couldn't help but laugh. Imagine, just from being born in America and raised in America, she was already almost famous. _At least to this family,_ she thought. "Wow, thank you," she said. "I would be more than honored to give you all of the information that you and you sons want about America."

"Good, and thank you, Miss Alexandra, for allowing us to learn from you." Rafi took Andy by the hand and led her to his home.

"You guys can call me Andy, "She said trying to keep up with Rafi as he pulled on her arms. After about twenty minutes of walking through the marketplace Akon opened a door and walked inside. Rafi jumped up and down while dragging Andy through the doorway. The smell of food and the sound of rapid talking greeted Andy.

The house was rather small, but it was quaint and comfortable. It wasn't anything close to what Andy's small house looked like, because even though her house was small compared to others, her house was a mansion compared to this one. A short woman appeared and took a hold of Andy's hands. "Welcome to our home," she said with a brilliant smile.

**Thanks to everyone for reading thus far. Like I said in the previous chapters, if any of you want me to use certain characters, let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Meeting Hall

The day was beautiful as it nearly always was so why did Aphrodite feel uncomfortable? Nephthys had only been gone for a day which was not entirely surprising. She would often travel to a river for meditation and lose track of time, but still something worried Aphrodite.

"Ah, Aphrodite, I found you." Hermes rushed towards her. "You are needed in the Meeting Hall at once."

Aphrodite, still unsure about Nephthys, was now even more confused regarding Hermes' news. A meeting being called inside the Hall was very rare. Usually meetings were held in the gardens where it was relaxing and tranquil. Only extremely confidential and important meetings were held in the Hall.

"The Meeting Hall?" Aphrodite had an extremely quizzical look on her face.

Hermes smiled, "Yes, apparently a rather confidential piece of news has come about that must remain top secret." Hermes' eyes flashed with mischief. "Perhaps old Thoth has decided to take over the world. I would not put it past him. He has seemed rather dodgy lately, quoting old texts and predicting the future and all. I heard, from a secure source that saw him recently, that old Thoth has been muttering." Hermes' eyes grew wide with fake wonder.

Aphrodite, not quite as dim-witted as most would like to think, did not play to Hermes' theories. Instead she shot him a warning glance and smiled, "Well, I have serious doubts about that information." Hermes' informants were less than reliable nearly one hundred percent of the time. "How about you lead the way to the Hall instead of sputtering wild ideals, huh?"

Aphrodite followed Hermes into the Hall. She was greeted with the usual hellos as she sat down in her chair. She could tell that she was not the only one to be unsettled by the fact that they were inside the Meeting Hall. Many people were whispering to each other in a hurry while others simply seemed entirely lost.

Zeus rose from his chair, "Thank you all for coming. I understand that it must be strange to you all since most of our meetings are mostly held in the glorious gardens; however, desperate times call for desperate measures." He let out an uncertain chuckle. Everyone in the room could tell that he was stalling.

Aphrodite spotted Nephthys across the room. She donned her brightest smile and waved her left hand as wildly as she could without attracting too much attention to herself. However, the more Aphrodite tried to get Nephthys' attention the more she realized that Nephthys did not look like herself today. She looked rather pale and scared. Aphrodite was unsure why, but this sight bothered her.

"And of course there was the time when that one mortal decided to practice magic." Zeus smiled reminiscing. He had been babbling on about all of the meetings that had been held in the Hall.

At that moment Osiris stood up rubbing his ribcage. Apparently Isis had elbowed him to shut Zeus up. "Yes, I do believe that we all remember. Thank you, Zeus." Osiris cleared his throat. "We called you all here to inform you that Anubis has declared war upon us."

At first there was silence. A terrible, awful silence that engulfed the large room. Aphrodite's heart lost a few beats. She slowly moved her eyes across the room and her saw many frightened, shocked, and worried faces. The face that really caught her attention, however, was Hel's.

Now, Hel was the daughter of Loki, the Norse god of mischief who was destroyed by his brother Thor. Hel was also the Norse goddess of the underworld, so naturally Aphrodite silently disapproved of Hel. Hel was a pale, scrawny girl. She had unnatural dark hair that didn't actually look like hair. It looked more like a sheet of iron that was painted black.

Hel was wearing an expression of pride, almost joy, at hearing this news. Just as Aphrodite was getting good and comfortable staring at Hel, Hel looked at her. Aphrodite gave Hel her most childish look she could muster.

At that moment, however, Osiris cleared his throat at call everyone's attention back to him. "Yes, it is a very shocking bit of news; however, not entirely unexpected," he glanced at Isis. "We are preparing for an attack soon. We must ask you not to speak of this to anyone until we are certain of this information."

A gruff voice boomed out through the murmur, "How long can we keep this a secret until it becomes too dangerous to leave everyone else in the dark?"

"If something should arise that draws undue attention, we will announce publicly. Until then, we are treating this has an unconfirmed theory."

The gruff voice shot out again with a hint of spite, "When do you expect it to be confirmed?"

Osiris was growing tired of the interruptions, "We are doing the best that we can at this moment, Thor. Stealth is a virtue in this matter. We do not wish to tip Anubis off that we know of his rebellion."

A second voice rang out, this time a woman's, "Should an attack occur, how shall we explain this to the humans?" Everyone broke out into wild conversations. Yes, what would happen to the humans? All this time the Immortals had tried to keep their existence a mystery to the humans, but if a war was to break out there would be no possible way to protect the humans from the effects.

Aphrodite could see that Osiris was taken aback by this question. He looked to Isis for help. "We hope to extinguish this threat before to goes that far, Hestia," Isis spoke rising from her seat. "However, should Anubis have the chance to harm the humans, the most that we can expect is a few unexplained deaths or illnesses of a random few. Anubis' powers are not strong enough to cause the humans great alarm."

"That is, of course, relying on the assumption that he is working alone." Hestia's sickly sweet voice was just loud enough to drown out the individual conversations and her statement caused everyone to twist their heads back to Isis' direction.

"Hestia, we have no reason to believe that Anubis has any accomplices. Furthermore, there is no reason to alarm everyone with your outrageous ideas and theories," Isis glared at Hestia with an air of superiority. Her nose slightly pointed to the ceiling.

Athena rose from her seat drawing all attention to herself. "You must have faith in us to do our jobs. Zeus, Osiris, Isis, and myself will be working nonstop on a plan to put an end to Anubis' threat. Until then, please, tell no one and keep your eyes and ears open. Should you see or hear anything that could assist us, please come to either myself, or one of the others. I do believe that is all for now. You are dismissed." Athena nodded to the other three and they left through the rear door leaving the others in semi-chaos as they all scrambled to voice their opinions first.

Aphrodite tried to reach Nephthys, but somehow she had already slipped out. All Aphrodite could do was return to the gardens for a much needed silence.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Illness

Andy awoke stiff and sore, no doubt from sleeping on the floor. She had been lodging with the family for a few weeks now. She tried to open her eyes, but the intensity of the sun's light forced her to flinch in pain. She sat up and opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. Nadra, the only daughter Farid and Bayan had, sat across the room reading. She was twelve and the oldest of the three children.

"Nadra, what time is it?" Andy's phone was dead as she had forgotten to charge it the night before.

Nadra looked up from her book, "About noon. Are you hungry?"

"Noon!" Andy exclaimed with shock. She never slept pass ten, Rafi would always wake her.

"Yes, ma'am. Father said that you might sleep in late because of the difference in the time." Andy was still struggling with the time change. Nadra stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Andy got up and stretched out her muscles. She walked into the kitchen, following Nadra, to see if there was anything she could help with. "Where is everyone?" Andy asked noticing that it was just her and Nadra which was unusual.

Nadra put the finishing spices into the cooking pot and stirred it. "Rafi got sick so they took him to the doctor."

"To the doctor? Why? What happened?" Andy had grown fond of the three children and she was alarmed by this sudden news.

"Nothing serious, Miss Andy. He was throwing up slightly, but he will be fine." Nadra placed some food on the small table for Andy and took a seat across from her. "Father knows a very good doctor who is his friend." Nadra's accent was very thick, but Andy had grown quite used to it.

Andy opened her mouth to respond, then quickly shut it again remembering that her mouth was full. After she swallowed a sufficient amount of food, which was very thick and stuck to the roof of her mouth so that she looked like a dog eating peanut butter, she spoke, "Well, when can we expect them back?"

"I am not sure." Nadra slowly lowered her book and peered innocently at Andy. "Perhaps you and I can go for a walk." She batted her eyes and grinned at Andy.

Andy got the feeling that Nadra was fishing for an "okay", but Andy wasn't going to give in so easily. Rather, Andy shifted the conversation to something else. "So, whatcha reading?"

Nadra's face fell into looks of defeat. She glared down to her book trying to muster enough enthusiasm to explain it. "It's about legends and myths from different countries. So, why can't we go for a little stroll?" Her face lit up with hope.

Andy ignored the question. "Myths, huh? Read me one."

Nadra rolled her eyes exasperated. She reluctantly flipped through the pages with her thumb to find one that could suffice. "Umm, how about this one? _The Twelve Labors of Hercules_."

Andy nodded encouragingly for Nadra to continue as she cleaned out her dirty dishes. "Wow, this is terrible." Nadra scrunched up her face before reading on. "Apparently, the goddess Hera did not like Hercules very much. It says here that she made him lose his mind and he killed his family. After he returned to his sane state he was told to endure twelve labors as punishment for the murders."

Andy had tried to listen to Nadra as she read the story aloud, but mythology had always bored her. When, Nadra had finished the tale, Andy was ready for something exciting to keep her awake. "Okay, let's go for a walk."

Nadra squealed with joy. Andy told her to leave a letter explaining where they had went and how long they were going to be gone for just in case Farid, Bayan, and the boys got home before them.

The two girls walked down many streets and passed many houses. "Akeem and Inara Almasi live in that one. Father and Mother just pretend to like them, though. They say that the Almasi's are, what do you call them, oh, fakes." Nadra would make a point of telling Andy the names of each and every person who lived in the houses that they passed. She would also explain their status according to her family.

Andy looked down at her phone, she had managed to get it fully charged while Nadra was reading, and saw the time. They had spent a grand total of about four hours wondering around. And while Andy did not find this stroll exhilarating, she couldn't complain. It was still better than sitting in the house reading books. Sure, it wasn't what she really wanted to do, which was to rent a jeep or something and go visit the pyramids or just spend the night in the desert, but it was still better that the alternative. It was growing dark so, Andy and Nadra made their way back home.

As they were turning down a street only about two streets away from home, a woman and her two children approached Andy and Nadra. "نادرة، وأنا سعيد لاني وجدت لك. أنا آسف جدا أن نسمع عن أخيك." The woman seemed distressed and took Nadra by the shoulders.

Nadra looked confused. "ماذا تعني?"

They spoke a little while longer. And all the while Nadra's face looked more and more confused and worried. Suddenly, she bolted down the opposite street. Andy, shocked, ran after her. She soon caught up with Nadra only to find her sobbing as she ran.

Nadra stopped running and entered a house. As Andy followed her, Nadra turned around and told Andy to be silent. Andy nodded and entered the house behind Nadra. They turned left down a hallway and entered the first door on their right. It was a small room with a tiny cot and on the cot was Rafi.

He was extremely pale. Next to him were Farid and Bayan. Bayan looked as if she had been crying hard for hours. When they saw Nadra and Andy enter the room, they jumped up. Bayan grabbed Nadra by the shoulders and took her out of the room crying.

Farid approached Andy, "He is very ill. The doctor does not believe that he can be cured." Farid's voice broke. "All we can do now is wait."

Andy was stunned. She could feel herself gasping for air. She tried to talk, but only grunts came out. She looked from Farid to the doctor, who was now kneeling next to Rafi, and back to Farid. When she saw the tears in Farid's eyes, she could no longer hold herself together. She fell to the floor tears rushing down her dirty face as she watched Rafi's tiny, fragile body shake. She could not breathe. She tried to suck in but nothing came, only tears as a little boy was dying.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: On Guard

Artemis was hating life. Ever since the news of Anubis' betrayal had reached them, Apollo and Artemis had been placed on guard duty. Their job was to watch over the humans and to report any suspicious behavior. This in and of itself was not too bad. No, the reason Artemis was mad was because all leisurely activity was cancelled. No more hunting for her.

Apollo tripped over a loose stone on the walkway. And, while she knew it was an accident and that her brother was usually a klutz, she couldn't help it. All of her built up anger and frustration at Anubis and the council, and at the world for that matter, burst forth uncontrollably. "Either watch where you are going, or stay home!" She yelled violently.

Apollo stepped back. Her sudden outburst caught him off guard. "Gosh, grouch, go eat some sunflowers with a hint of sunshine." He continued walking humming a joyful tune.

Artemis knew he was right, but she would never let him know it. She gave him a low growl and glared threateningly at him. What she really wanted to do was hunt. You know, just a rabbit or something. It didn't have to be big to make her happy. Athena made it sound like Artemis wanted to go hunt a Minotaur giant hybrid. Athena always had it in for Artemis.

Athena liked to taunt Artemis by stating that Zeus found more favor in her than in Artemis. But, Artemis didn't care about that. As a matter of fact, she could care less about who found favor with Zeus. He was a pitiful excuse for a father anyway. But, even though Artemis didn't care what Zeus thought, many others did and because Athena was oh-so-special, people sided with her more. It burned Artemis up.

"So, what's up?" Apollo asked staring at his sister.

"What do you mean 'what's up'?"

"Well, you look like you're planning the assassination of every young dog in the world. I'm just hoping to calm you down before you take drastic measures and take the kittens down, too."

Artemis smiled. Apollo always knew how to cheer her up. He was such a good brother. It made Artemis heart sore to think that anything tragic would happen to him. Of course, she would never tell him that.

"I was thinking about Athena." She growled.

"Ah, yes. Our beloved step-sister would make anyone want to mass murder puppies," Apollo chuckled. "But, it's not just her fault that we're stuck on guard duty."

"No, it's not just her fault. It's Dione's fault, too." Artemis began to mock her step-mother, "Oh, Zeus. Athena's been so mistreated. She's been abused and abandoned. In my _humble_ opinion, I believe you should treat her to more of your precious attention instead of acknowledging those brats Apollo and Artemis!" As each word flew out of her mouth, Artemis could feel her hatred of Dione and Athena getting closer and closer to the exploding point.

She looked over at Apollo who had been very quiet while his sister ranted. He was walking next to her with a solemn expression. His eyes showed that he had taken in every word that she uttered. Artemis could tell that he was mulling over her words carefully before offering a response.

"Well, we could always hire Ares to kill them." He smirked.

Artemis laughed, but she knew that Apollo wasn't telling her what he actually thought. Probably because he was afraid that she would get offended by what he was actually thinking. On second thought, it was most likely better that he didn't tell her what he was thinking. She would most likely get offended by it and retaliate resulting in an awkward silence and a grumpy atmosphere.

Artemis sighed, "I just hope that they come up with a plan to end Anubis before I die of boredom and take you down with me."

Apollo opened his mouth to give a rather witty response when a sudden loud crack caused the both of them to jump. Artemis almost cursed, but she caught herself. "What in the name of all that's unseen was that?" She and Apollo both had their weapons drawn and were ready for anything.

However, a soft melodic voice spoke, "Sorry. So sorry. Bad shot I'm afraid." Following the voice appeared Eros with his bow in his hand and a quiver on his back. Artemis felt imaginary butterflies in her stomach. Eros was not necessarily handsome, or at least not near as handsome as Apollo, but he was charming. His eyes were dark, his hair was dark, and even his skin seemed somewhat darker than any others, but he was also so full of light. His voice was soft, deep, and strong. He always seemed rather shy and kept his head slightly down. Artemis found him mysterious and deadly and she was extremely attracted to him.

Artemis cleared her throat, "You could have died. Apollo and I are on guard duty and our weapons are always at the ready. We could have shot you. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Apollo looked at his sister. He never understood why she was so harsh with Eros. Apollo knew that Artemis liked him so why wasn't she batting her eyes, or blushing, or flirting? Instead she threatened him? What sort of sign of attraction was that? He would never understand how women think.

Eros blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry. I've been practicing my shooting lately. Just trying to brush up, if you know what I mean. I accidently shot a metal plate. "

"Well, if you wouldn't mind making an announcement that you're shooting next time, so that other people would be aware of your presence, that would be great. Thanks."

Eros looked at Artemis, "Yes, of course. I beg your pardon. I shall move on to another area so that I do not disturb you, ma'am."

Apollo grinned, cheeky guy. A guy like that was perfect for his sister. She needed someone to straighten her up. "Thanks, Eros. Happy shooting!"

Eros nodded towards Apollo. "Sorry, again, ma'am, for disturbing you." And with that Eros left.

Artemis mentally kicked herself for being so rude. She sighed, gestured towards Apollo, and walked away continuing her guard duty thinking about hunting and, for some reason, wishing Eros was with her.


End file.
